Some of you may recognise me as Shippma over on AO, but here i shall be Shippwreck (cause i tend to break more than i fix...)

For those that don't know me, i graduated from Uni 2 years ago (comp sci degree) and have been working for the NHS ever since. In my own time i have finally got a website up and am now playing with different features and bascially using it as a test bed for everything i do, however, it does have a purpose...

I will be getting married this June and i hit upon the idea (after spending way too much time in forums) of making a wedding forum for all my family and friends, that way rather than having to spend lots of time telling everyone over and over again whats happening, they can all just log on. Plus after the wedding i wont have to feel guilty about not showing people pictures and not keeping in contact, cause if i or anyone else has anything to say they can post it (who said technology was replacing actual contact...)

Anyway enough about me, this place looks great and i'll see everyone around.

Your handle reminds me of a two week patrol I did with the Royal Navy, they let me drive the boat for a while. Foolish foolish people. Apparently boats do not have a collective and a cyclic and to opperate the rudder you use a big wheel. There I was looking for the pedals.

Only two weeks on a boat? You don't know what you missed, even in Her Majesty's Navy. I still dig the HMS carrier with the jumpramp flight deck

Welcome aboard, Shipmate (wreck? ) !

Ice,

Twas only two weeks but I enjoyed every minute. Being a pongo (soldier) I got the wee wee taken quite alot, especialy as when the bowsons line? was set up between two boats I kept letting the line go slack. Not to mention, I sunk the target practice thingymebob they towed. Targets are meant to be shot at and hit, as far as I was trained. The Navy apparently shot below them for some unfathomable reason. I never did understand why they let me have a go on the GPMG, I was hitting the feck out of it with an SLR.

As for the jump ramp thing, i'll have you know that, thats a great British invention, that makes our aircraft, far more afective once airborne, due to the fact, our pilots are still trying to drag thier arses out of the footwell and as such are flying to eraticaly to be shot down. So there.

Sinking the target is ALWAYS a good thing, except when you're the one towing it (or the target itself - been that too for missle exercises/ciws tests).
Nice try though

Navy shoots low during gunnery exercises to hit the keel and maximize damage. Since those "Killer Tomatoes" draft virtually zero, the big guns miss a lot. Our "killer tomato" usually wound up dead to the Marine's .50 cal gunnery - with the turrets and 5 inchers 'scoring' when they struck 'near miss' - as in horseshoes and hand-grenades, the keel thing made 'almost' count.

The jump ramp flight deck makes your one carrier look quite cool indeed. If I remember correctly from talking to one of your harrier pilots during Des Storm (he'd come aboard for mess in the wardroom by invite), he said it was to shorten the takeoff distance, thereby allowing for a smaller ship. Your carrier is about 2/3 the size of our "Forrestal" class carriers. The VTOL ability of the harrier plus that jump ramp make for some cool ops indeed. I got to watch her launch at night Not to mention those harriers are fast as grease through a goose.

I envy your Navy files. That daily ration of beer or rum is a wonderful thing, especially since you can 'bank' your chits and tie one on if you so choose. My entire time in I had exactly *two* beers aboard ship - warm Heinekins - after 90 days of continuous underway. Unimpressive at best. Beat the hell out of the Formaldehyde Stella we got in Hurghada Egypt 2 weeks later though...

The one thing a customer service specialist can never teach is 'being nice.'

'got the wee wee taken a lot' - umm, please elaborate? You pissed a lot?

No, I had the piss taken alot. They took the Mick alot. Made fun off me alot.

As for the ski jump ramp, i'm fairly sure they are BS. Harrier can go straight up, why would it need to go down a runway and take off?. Thats rhetorical, cuz it's safer. Same as my mobs helecopters, we always used a runway as if we were fixed wing, only pulling up once transitional lift speed had been reached.

As foxy said, unfortunately i can't enlighten you as to how well the link is getting passed around as it was provided for me.

Hi Foxy,

Hope your feeling better.

Hi Relyt,

Gotta be honest, i've had a lot of nicknames, but that has definetly not been one yet, think i kinda like the idea of a nickname with captain in it, makes me sound important...

As for me other two shipmates,

Well actually the only boats i've driven were a speed boat out on a lake near detroit (twas great fun though, plus the guy had a jet ski too) and a canal boat here in England. Fortunately i managed to avoid crashing/damaging both. The only time i've come anywhere near the type that you too are going on about was when a ferry i was on came in too dock and they had 5 or 6 naval vessels docked aswell, was a great site, but sadly nothing obvious was going on with them...

To elaborate on my handle, my surname is Shipp, i like boats and Shippwreck just came to mind. Shippma over on AO is litterally my surname and initials, which was kinda boring. However i'm sure if you managed to talk to anyone i know they would say that forgetfulness and being clumsy are two traits i have in abundance, so they would probably say Shippwreck is quite apt.